Bicycle Helmets

[mommaduck]

I'm curious on views of this subject. I'd also like to know what kind of area you live in (urban, suburban, rural).

 

I've lived in all three and there are extreme differences in choices from what I've seen.

 

I can see the need for them in athletic cyclers...so I'm asking more along the lines of regular, non-athletic cyclers.

 

Also, I'm curious if it is law in your state for cyclers to have helmets.

[JenneinCA]

We wear helmets when on anything with wheels (bikes, trikes, roller skates, scooters...). We are definitely in an urban area. I think there is a law about wearing helmets, but I am not certain.

[lllll]

..

[Pamela H in Texas]

My kids wore helmets because they were supposed to. I haven't ever really believed they were necessary for everyone or anything like that (however, I HATE seeing motorcyclists without one!).

 

One day, I had my friend's son. He ALWAYS wore his helmet to cycle and roller blade. For some reason, he didn't put it on to ride the scooter and it never crossed my mind. And two doors down, he fell and REALLY hit his head. We got to visit the ER. Thankfully, he was okay; but....

[Starr]

If you do not want to wear a helmet do not ask a nurse if you should. :)

[mommaduck]

If you do not want to wear a helmet do not ask a nurse if you should. :)

:lol: very true!

[*********]

We live in the suburbs.

 

My little boys wear helmets when they are on anything with wheels.

 

Dh has decided that dss does not have to wear a helmet any longer to bike, skateboard, etc., because he doesn't have to wear one at his mom's house.

 

Me no likey.

 

I will keep my little boys in helmets as long as I possibly can. In fact, if dh starts talking about not making them were their helmets, I'll just get his stepbrother who works in an ER to tell him a few stories. That oughta fix it.

[LuvToRead]

We live in a rural area, and both my girls wear helmets and closed toe shoes.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I see them as necessary. So do our police and local hospital. We had a local bicycle safety day. The hospital donated new free helmets that the police were fitting on children and giving away. Both my kids got new ones.

[JudoMom]

When my oldest was about 5, he was riding a plastic push and ride toy, on of those ride on type toy for toddlers without pedals; instead you push your feet on the ground to get it moving. He wasn't too big (he's also been very small for his age). He was on the sidewalk in front of our house, and ds hit a bump and went over the front. Dh turned around to see ds motionless with a pool of blood spreading outwards. Ds split his lip all the way through, but the scariest part was he knocked himself unconscious and gave himself a concussion.

 

We had begun to enforce a helmets-on-bikes rule, but after this accident we started enforcing a helmet rule any time they're outside on something with wheels (bikes, scooters, rollerblades, etc).

 

We live in a city, though it's not urban. On our street, the helmet wearers vs non-helmet wearers is split fairly evenly, though I think the non-helmet wearers would come out a bit in the lead.

[BikeBookBread]

There's a line of rock climbing helmets that uses a motto something like, "Because it's your brain." Yep.

 

DH is a bike commuter (20 miles a day) and athletic cyclist -- he was hit in October of 2008. He was hurt - hard and soft tissue, but spared from a serious head injury (had a concussion) even thought he was thrown over the hood of the car that hit him.

 

Sooooo.....yes, our little girls wear helmets. Always. Even on a slow suburban almost-cul-de-sac street. Our neighbor children don't, and my girls LECTURE them. It's kind of embarrassing...

 

To adapt the phrase below, "if you don't wear a helmet, don't ask someone who has been in an accident if you should."

Edited June 23, 2010 by BikeBookBread

[FaithManor]

We own bicycle helmets and the children must use them when riding on the side street in front of or beside our house. We do allow them to ride on the grass in the back yard without them since they can't get going very fast and there isn't a danger of cars or much that they can get hurt on.

 

We also require them to wear their bike helmets when riding our little go-cart that does maybe 15 miles per hour. They ride that in our yard and at grandma and grandpa's in their meadow.

 

I think they are a wise idea. In our rural area, we have lots of blind spots where drivers really have limited visual of the corners and the shoulders are very narrow or non-existent so the biker can't get off for the car unless he/she heads into the big drainage ditches. Our children aren't allowed to ride too far from the house because of this. Plus, since our town is too small to be incorporated, that means that we have almost no speed zones. Yes, that's right....it is 55 miles per hour on the street going past the private school! I am just so thankful that the building is set back away from the road and though the front yard is much better than the back, the administrator put all of the play equipment behind the building.

 

I have mixed feelings about the police giving fines to parents (up to $500.00 in our area). Many kids have bike helmets and just refuse to wear them or take them off the minute their parents aren't looking. I don't like the government getting it's big nose inserted into every area of life! But, I personally think that the use of bike helmets is wise.

 

Faith

[*********]

When my oldest was about 5, he was riding a plastic push and ride toy, on of those ride on type toy for toddlers without pedals; instead you push your feet on the ground to get it moving. He wasn't too big (he's also been very small for his age). He was on the sidewalk in front of our house, and ds hit a bump and went over the front. Dh turned around to see ds motionless with a pool of blood spreading outwards. Ds split his lip all the way through, but the scariest part was he knocked himself unconscious and gave himself a concussion.

 

We had begun to enforce a helmets-on-bikes rule, but after this accident we started enforcing a helmet rule any time they're outside on something with wheels (bikes, scooters, rollerblades, etc).

 

We live in a city, though it's not urban. On our street, the helmet wearers vs non-helmet wearers is split fairly evenly, though I think the non-helmet wearers would come out a bit in the lead.

 

Oh.My.Word. That must have been horrifying!

 

Glad your little man is ok. Yep, helmets for anything with wheels is the best way to go, IMO.

[Jan in SC]

My guys are required to wear helmets. They have worn helmets from the beginning. We live in the suburbs. They also wear full face helmets for BMX.

[Tess in the Burbs]

a 9 y/o girl in our neighborhood crashed last month into a tree and did not have her bike helmet on. She survived but had bleeding on her brain and had to stay at the Children's Hospital several days.

 

I don't like helmets much myself.....makes my hair funky and sometimes my glasses and the helmet knock each other, but it's a safety thing. People who ski fast should wear helmets too......People always think it won't happen to them.

 

We prefer to be safe. I like in the suburbs but cars often go faster than they should on our street.

[Truscifi]

We live in a more rural area, but not quite in the woods. Absolutely necessary for ds as he is still prone to falling over. I wish dh would wear one since he likes to relive his youth by doing crazy things on a bicycle. I don't wear one because I don't do crazy tricks or fall over a lot (and because I've never seen one for adults around here). The cyclists who use the nature trail near my house wear them but I don't know where they get them.

[yvonne]

Helmets for bike riders are required by law in CA:

 

"A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, or ride upon a bicycle as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet..."

 

Don't know about over 18.

[bugs]

I had a friend in college (this was over 20 years ago when even professional cyclist didn't seem to wear helmets - I always have even though I looked dorky) whose front forks of her bike broke while riding. She was probably traveling 5 mph. Her face and head were pretty messed up. I decided then that dorky was okay. So, everyone in my family wears a helmet.

 

Oh, not sure about the law in WA but I think it's up to the county. I don't believe my county has a law for this. I am not into a lot of government rules but I do think children under the age of 18 should be required to wear a helmet.

Edited June 23, 2010 by bugs
Explain the law

[Jen500]

My dc always wear helmets when riding anything with wheels. Dh and I always wear helmets when we ride our bikes. We ride in urban areas, off-road in the woods, and mountain trails. Our bike club requires helmets on all rides.

[Scuff]

I used to ride a lot. 20-30 mile rides. (I still like to ride, but since I usually have the kids, we go ahorter distances.) So I'm pretty aware of things and know how to ride safely. One day, when I was in college, I fell pretty badly. I was just a few miles away from home, going to work. There was a big squareish landscaping log knocked into the middle of the sidewalk. I was watching traffic and didn't see it. Flew almost over the handlebars and smashed my head into the road. I hurt for days, but I probably would have been in the ER if I hadn't had a helmet on.

 

So, I always wear my helmet and so do the kids. I haven't had an accident since. But it is called an accidemt for a reason. ;) Our sidewalks aren't great around here, so there is a risk that they could easily fall. We're urban and I never see other people with helmets on unless they're long distance riders passing through. I did grow up suburban and helmets became more used in my upper teen years. (Although my mom made us wear them before most everyone else, which embarassed us to bits!) i will add, though, that I don't neccessarily think it should be the law. I don't like the government regulating every little thing in our lives. But I do think they are a personal safety need.

Edited June 23, 2010 by Scuff

[HollyDay]

Absolutely we have and wear them. I get harassed often by neighborhood kids because I wear a helmet, sunglasses and bike gloves (ever come off the bike hands first? I have). They think I'm a wimp. Dh worked with a man who had to stop fast due to a car pulling out in front of him, the helmet saved not only his head, but his face and teeth thanks to the "visor" on the front.

 

Also, make sure the helmet fits!! I see so many kids with the helmets perched on the crown of their heads. I guess they are fulfilling the letter of the law, but if it is not worn properly, then it doesn't do much good.

 

We replace helmets every couple years or so if we store them in the garage. Just like carseats, the heat can degrade the plastic and make it not work as it should.

 

I know, I grew up way back when, living out in the country, in a day and time when seat belts were not required, car seats were not invented, and helmets would have been laughed at. Many have brought this up to me. "We grew up alright." "We survived". True enough. But, that doesn't make it right not to use the technology we have today. We have lots of advances now we did not have 30 years ago that I am grateful to have and use.

[Desert Rat]

One of the only reasons bike helmets are important to me is that I knew a kid growing up who got creamed by a truck while riding his bike. He suffered traumatic brain injury and was very impaired after that.

However, just to show how quirky I can be, I enforce helmets for bikes and skateboards but not for scooters. And I don't have a good reason why. Go figure.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

My DS has a helmet and he wears it on organized rides. He does not wear it when it's just us riding around. We live in a rural/urban (read small city with corn growing in every available nook and cranny) area. Within 10 mins of riding we are on country roads.

 

Most of the bike riders in our do not wear helmets. The ones who do wear them are usually adults.

[Jennifer in MI]

We insist!!!! My MIL worked in a head injury unit and I've heard enough horror stories!

 

Also, my d.s. 12 was in a bike accident two years ago where he flipped over the handlebars and landed on his head. He needed to go to the ER. He was wearing a helmet and the ER doc said if he hadn't been been wearing one, it would've been a VERY different ER visit. It was scary enough WITH the helmet.

[rwalizer]

Just a few weeks ago, I was riding with a group on a two lane road at about 18mph when I hit a rock with my front tire. We were riding in the bike lane, btw. The impact threw me side ways into the road and my head slammed down onto the pavement. My helmet was broken all the way through, but I was fine besides a few scrapes. Even at a much slower speed, I believe there would have been enough impact to seriously injure me, not to mention what could have happened if the car coming up beside me had not been able to swerve in time. You won't catch me on a bike without a helmet. All it takes if for your front tire to hit an object and you're down. My son broke completely destroyed his helmet when he wrecked his mountain bike. I believe the helmet save his life. We and all our cycling friends always wear our helmets.

[ereks mom]

It's our rule, always has been--law or no law--and it's not negotiable.

[Tap]

My kids wear helmets on all bikes, all the time. I do allow them to go sans helmet on scooters, plasma cars and trikes if they are riding: only in front of our house (not crossing driveways) AND only on the side walk(about 30 feet so not much speed can be gained). OR if they are on our patio in the back.

 

We live in a tight cul-de-sac neighborhood where people park cars on the streets and there are a lot of driveways that people back out of. I worry more about them getting backed into, than a fall accident. Our roads are paved and level so they aren't trail riding, just on the streets.

 

My cousin was killed at 2yo due to getting backed over by his father, my maternal uncle. This was before helmets, so no one knows if it would have helped, but it just brings home the reality of what can happen. He died of head trauma.

Edited June 23, 2010 by Tap, tap, tap

[Mommyof4ks]

We wear helmets on anything with wheels or feet (horses). I have known several kiddos who are very skilled on their skateboards and bikes who have ended up needing brain surgery after being thrown off of them. We also know a little girl that was wearing a helmet while riding a horse, and when she fell off she hit her head on the arena fence and dented the helmet bad. She was fine thanks to the helmet. Helmets are as important as carseats IMO.

[hornblower]

In BC, bicyclists of ALL ages are required to wear a helmet. It's been the law since 1996.

 

We all have them & all wear them. We did before the laws too :-)

Edited June 23, 2010 by hornblower
oh man, that was a bad typo...

[Lolly]

ummm, where is the obligatory None of the above???

 

We wear them. It is law for under 16. However, we wear them because they work, and we like our brains. I am a firm believer in personal choice and do not believe that there should be laws on this type of thing.

[Gooblink]

ummm, where is the obligatory None of the above???

 

We wear them. It is law for under 16. However, we wear them because they work, and we like our brains. I am a firm believer in personal choice and do not believe that there should be laws on this type of thing.

 

:iagree:My sentiments.

[Parrothead]

I don't like that there has to be a law for this sort of thing. Dd has a helmet but never wears it. When she was learning to ride she wore one. I think what happened is she outgrew the helmet she got at 3, and we did not live in an area with easy access to Wal-mart much less a sporting goods store so we didn't get another for several years.

 

She has one now, but I haven't seen her wear it.

[Crimson Wife]

It's the law here in CA for kids to wear helmets with bikes, scooters, skateboards, and in-line skates.

 

I would have my kids wear helmets when biking or skateboarding even without the law but the part about scooters and roller skates seem a bit over-the-top IMHO. I think it's just one more example of California being a "nanny state".

 

I never once came anywhere remotely close to hitting my head using skates or a scooter when I was growing up. When I fell, I might've scraped my knee or elbow but mostly I just landed on my backside. It's not like a bike where head injuries are fairly common.

[TravelingChris]

IN Florida, the rule was for children to wear helmets but we all wore them. Here the law is under 15 but again all of us wear them. I am all for helmet laws since I am not for taxpayers paying for brain trauma patients who had preventable injuries.

[lionfamily1999]

For my youngest it's a necessity. He rides too fast for his bike to handle and crashes often. My older two don't wear them, neither do my husband or myself.

 

We live ruralish. We're in a neighborhood, but pretty well in the middle of nowhere.

[Whereneverever]

We're rural, nonathletic bikers. The kids always wear a helmet, even in the bike trailer.

[shannatheshedevil]

When he's riding his bike to the playground (nowhere near the road and a whopping 100 feet from our house), no. When he's riding on the street, yes, even though we live on a quiet culdesac.

[Nestof3]

We live in the suburbs. The young ones may ride their bikes in front of our house without supervision, but they may not leave our street without an adult. My boys wear helmets when rollerblading, ice skating, using a scooter and riding a bike.

 

For casual bike riding, I would not wear a helmet if it weren't for my children. Because of them and the example, I do. I would wear one regardless when roller blading or ice skating.

 

Oh, and I wear one when horseback riding.

 

I don't know what the law is in our area for helmets.

[AngieW in Texas]

I am not sure if helmets are required by law. I do require my kids to use helmets when riding their bikes and haven't had any problems with them complying. Around here, most adults and nearly all the kids under 12yo wear helmets, but the kids between 12yo and 18yo mostly don't.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

DD 4.5 wears her helmet on her bike. Every. Single. Time. There is no other option.

 

I also made her wear a helmet when she was 2-3 riding her little Dora power wheels that goes like... 2.5 miles an hour. Very sturdy, I don't think you could flip it unless you were going sideways on an incline, but I wanted to to get used to and be okay with wearing a helmet. :D (And.. I may be slightly overprotective)

 

She will wear a helmet when we learn to skate (I'm about to buy her first pair of skates! :) ) on scooters, and anything else with wheels.

Oh, and horseback riding.

 

Brain injury isn't something to joke at. I've seen what it can do to people.

[myfunnybunch]

If you do not want to wear a helmet do not ask a nurse if you should. :)

 

Or an ER doc.

 

One of the first things our neighbor did after they moved in was compliment my kids for always having their helmets on when he saw them on bikes or scooters.

 

I voted that they are necessary. We're urban, in a small city with many bicyclists and bike paths. There is a helmet law for people under 16 but we all wear them every time we ride our bikes.

 

Cat

[MotherMayI]

We have lived in urban and suburban and now rural places. Our rules have not changed- helmets are ALWAYS worn when riding bikes, scooters, skateboards, skates, etc. My dh lost his best friend at age 15 due to a bicycle accident with a head injury that could have been prevented by helmet protection. I met a boy through a camp for youth with mental disabilities who became mentally disabled after a bike accident- he was biking with his family, they looked back and he had fallen off his bike...he was never the same. His parents told me they had to mourn the loss of the dreams for their boy and start new. Children who play at our house know that if they want to play here they have to wear a helmet. The laws in our state vary by county/town, but I believe most cities here have some helmet laws.

[Danestress]

I told my son not to even bother buying a bike in college unless he was going to wear a helmet, because anyone who expects us to help in a medical crisis has to wear a helmet.

 

If I have to take care of an adult son for life, I don't want it to be because I could have warned him against that brain injury but didn't. All kinds of terrible things can happen in life, and we can't protect ourselves against all of them. But a bike helmet is easy to wear. There really is no drawback to wearing one except that your hair might get sweaty and you might not look as cool. To me, these are not reasons to risk a brain injury.

[mommaduck]

Wow, thanks ya'll. You have definitely given me food for thought.

 

I biked a lot when I was kid and a teen. Loved it. No helmets back then. In our previous state it became law and our kids had helmets (getting them to wear them was another thing...they never seemed to fit right. Personally, bike helmets look like they don't fully cover the head and I wondered what the point was). Here, I don't believe there is one. This is a HUGE area for bicyclists. The ones that wear helmets are athletic/tourist cyclists. Regular cyclists do not use them...and I mean that a good portion of the county uses bicycles as a primary means of transportation (wagons, trailers, boxes, etc all attached even for groceries and such). Inside the city and out in the county it is the same. I have one kid that will be going to highschool and may eventually choose to ride to school or at least to a bus (the buses here have bike carriers on them). My kids do not ride unless they are out in the country at a friend's. Since we are in the city, I don't even let them go down the street alone, so no bike riding. I know that they would be seriously tormented by neighbour kids if I did let them bike and they wore helmets, but since they don't bike around here at all, it hasn't been an issue.

 

But since, yes, it's my kid's brain, I'll get him a helmet and he's old enough to take care of himself and ignore the other kids. The private school he'll be attending has kids that wouldn't harrass for something like that. It's their brains also and they all value theirs at that school.

 

Thank you. I was seriously on the fence with this. On one hand, no, I'm not negligient and do care about my kids. On the other, I grew up and currently live in an area where everyone rides bicycles AND horses without helmets (unless you are horseback or cycling police officer and I think they are required) and without incident (none that I have heard of). I know it only takes a freak accident though and I was trying to wrap my mind from one mindset to another. The other thread about the cop handing out things for "safe riding" made me think. My first reaction was, "just because a kid isn't wearing a helmet doesn't mean they aren't riding safely...we were taught all kinds of safety rules for riding and there were no helmets".

 

So, a helmet will go on the list if my son chooses to ride to school. Thank you :)

[HeidiKC]

I knew a girl whose best friend was riding bikes with her mom when she was 11, and the mom went over the handle-bars and landed on her head...and died. So sad, so horrible for the child to witness. This was just a mom riding with her daughter, not doing any daredevil stunts or anything. I think they were going down a hill, but not crazy fast or anything.

 

Right, it is statistically unlikely a child will fall and land on his head... but if he does it is BAD news. Better safe than sorry, I say.

 

I guess I see this the same way I see seatbelts. It's unlikely you'll have a serious car accident, but if you do and people aren't wearing seatbelts...bad news.

 

I think many people would agree that if a child landed on his head he'd be potentially seriously injured, they just don't think that will happen to their children.

[mommaduck]

It's unlikely you'll have a serious car accident, but if you do and people aren't wearing seatbelts...bad news.

 

 

As one who has been in more than one serious car accident...and walked away from one that should have ended my life, I don't consider it unlikely, ever.

[ClassicalTwins]

I'm curious on views of this subject. I'd also like to know what kind of area you live in (urban, suburban, rural).

 

I've lived in all three and there are extreme differences in choices from what I've seen.

 

I can see the need for them in athletic cyclers...so I'm asking more along the lines of regular, non-athletic cyclers.

 

Also, I'm curious if it is law in your state for cyclers to have helmets.

 

We live in a suburb, on a court with very little traffic. HOwever my twins are required to wear a helmet when riding bikes or their razor scooters. I witnessed one thrown over the handle bars of his bike (a 12" with training wheels) about a year ago and he literally cracked the helmet open. Very scary watching from the neighbor's driveway!:001_huh: This kid reminds all the other kids to wear theirs! He's my quick learner.

 

To get a good fit, go to a bicycle shop, I see in an earlier post about not covering the entire head. The forehead should be covered.

Edited June 23, 2010 by ClassicalTwins

[kalanamak]

ummm, where is the obligatory None of the above???

 

We wear them. It is law for under 16. However, we wear them because they work, and we like our brains. I am a firm believer in personal choice and do not believe that there should be laws on this type of thing.

 

I would agree if the biker or motorcycle rider would sign a legally binding document (good luck) freeing the taxpayer from disability or long term needs as a result of not wearing them. Society would then have to have the mettle to let chronic vent patients who no longer recognize family "go". The outcry would be tremendous.

 

The long term effects of TBI are becoming more known. It is not just a matter of "well they drained the clot, and he woke up, and we can all live happily ever after" any more. And while the "I had TBI and now I'm a happier person" people don't seek help (if they exist), the "I had TBI and lose my temper at the drop of a hat (and therefore have lost my job and my family support)" appear with depressing regularity.

[mom4him]

My two have had and worn helmet since they got their first bikes at 3 1/2 and 2 1/2. I believe that everyone should not only have one but wear one when riding something with wheels.

No it isn't a law and we live in a small town.

[rafiki]

.